Ipieca-Shell staff swap Q&A

Artemis:

I was lucky enough to get involved in quite a few Shell projects related to biodiversity. One biodiversity action plan (BAP) project was looking at key biodiversity features potentially impacted by Shell operations. After numerous consultations with stakeholders where we got to understand the conservation priorities and where the gaps in science are, we decided to focus on sharks and rays. Shell is using the opportunity to work with nature and environmental groups to learn more about them, their behaviours, how they breed, changes related to climate change and other things.

Yamile:

At Ipieca I was responsible for the delivery of key task forces under the Environment Working Group focused on emerging nature frameworks. I was deeply involved in the Nature-related Disclosure and Reporting Task Force, focusing on frameworks like TNFD and CSRD/ESRS, delivering an exercise to map these against Ipieca’s Sustainability reporting guidance for the oil and gas industry. This task force did pioneering work on CSRD disclosure requirements for environmental parameters.

Contributing to the Nature Positive Task Force was another enriching experience. Here, I played a role in enhancing Ipieca members’ understanding on what nature positive is. One of the key activities that we organized was the virtual Nature positive round table in which we invited stakeholders like WBCSD, IUCN and the IMEC group to present their nature positive approaches. During Ipieca Week 2024 (the annual meeting that brings Ipieca members and stakeholders together) we had the opportunity to continue the conversation at an in-person round table and learn from the experiences of other sectors like mining. We received very positive feedback for the sessions led by ICMM and Anglo-American. This experience allowed us to reflect on what nature positive could mean for our own industry as well as inspire out of the box thinking.

I'm also proud to have been part of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Task Force which explores how the industry could contribute towards the GBF targets. The task force aims to enhance understanding of the potential implications of the GBF targets for businesses, explores what target 15 could mean for our industry and looks for case studies and examples to illustrate positive industry contributions towards biodiversity conservation.

Besides that, I had the chance to work with a fantastic network of passionate environmental experts on developing sustainability good practice guidance and a whole range of nature topics through Ipieca’s different working groups and task forces.

Artemis:

Seeing how members use the guidance has been really useful, and actually seeing just how much Ipieca guidance is used at a big company like Shell was an eye opener – Shell of course has its own internal guidance and tools but Ipieca guidance is used very much as a reference and to validate what they are doing, because Ipieca brings together all these member companies and bright minds from these companies, it really has weight.

I also saw just how helpful the case studies we provide are to companies to help them understand how other companies are addressing these topics, so I’ll be supporting the build out of Ipieca case studies in our different guidance and on the website.

Yamile:

I’ll definitely take back a reading list of Ipieca guidance for environmental professionals in Shell, such as BES fundamentals, A guide to developing biodiversity action plans and the Sustainability reporting guidance for the oil and gas industry.

Besides publications, Ipieca provides the possibility to learn from the experiences of other sustainability experts. I’ll be encouraging my colleagues at Shell to get involved with Ipieca and forge those relationships with peers and likeminded professionals from across its membership that can enable environmental and sustainability good practices for the companies we represent and improve performance for our industry.

I will promote and encourage my Shell colleagues to contribute to Ipieca events like the Ipieca BES and water peer-to-peer workshops and Ipieca webinars. The webinars are a fantastic source of insights and new information on hot topics. Some examples range from measuring sustainability in the supply chain to ISO norms related to circular economy and ESG reporting.

Artemis:

As a sustainability professional I obtained a different and probably improved perspective on identifying priorities and appreciating risk. I can transfer these learnings into Ipieca’s work.

Yamile:

It gave me the confidence to know that I can lead positive change at industry level. Either by supporting the work in an Ipieca task force together with the chairs and co-chairs or facilitating the Nature positive roundtable during Ipieca Week 2024.

I’ve enhanced my knowledge about specific topics like ESRS and TNFD reporting, nature positive, the biodiversity action plan, circularity, alien invasive species and lots more. The experience allowed me to expand my network and improved my ability to work collaboratively with UN bodies, NGOs and Ipieca members and stakeholders.

Artemis:

The due diligence process. I knew that that would be the case at any large organization, but I didn’t appreciate just how seriously they work to avoid, manage and mitigate risk.

Another one was the tools they have in place to support decision making in the due diligence process – quite useful!

Also, it’s going to sound funny, but just the amount of very good work that Shell is doing around nature and communities where they operate but that they often don’t talk about publicly.

Yamile:

Agility: I was impressed and somehow overwhelmed about the diversity of topics that Ipieca and the Nature team address. The Ipieca Nature team is small but super agile and manages multiple topics simultaneously.

Impact: the impact that Ipieca has when collaborating with others is also impressive. One of the great examples is the collaboration with UNEP on Clean Fuels in Africa for almost 20 years. This effort has improved the fuel standards, air quality and consequently the health of many people by helping set the standards and regulations on clean fuels.

Credibility: the number of events that Ipieca has access to and is invited to participate in is remarkable. Ipieca is regarded as a strong knowledge holder and representative of the industry expertise. It is important that Ipieca participates in these events and shares outcomes with its members.

Artemis:

Definitely the chance to work on marine biodiversity. Learning about marine life and habitats was fascinating, and there is so little knowledge about them. I started knowing very little about BAPs and critical habitats and now know even about the endangered species of ocean quahogs!

Within any BAP, stakeholder engagement is absolutely essential. It was great to take part in workshops and engage with loads of different nature organizations to find out what their priorities are and share knowledge.

The net positive impact work is still in its first phase, and I am definitely going to stay up to date with the project and can’t wait to find out about the positive results it will hopefully achieve.

Yamile:

Supporting the BES peer-to-peer workshop in Malaysia was an enriching experience but also a cultural and culinary experience! The hospitality of PETRONAS made it remarkable. Having a forestry BSc, you can imagine how much I enjoyed being in the field exploring peatland swamp! And not to forget the other peer-to-peer workshop on water. Hosted by TotalEnergies this was great opportunity to share and build knowledge on this important resource as well as enjoy the fantastic sights of Paris. It was serious fun! Hard work rewarded with new experiences.

There were also some big UN moments for me – real milestones in my career to date – being involved in UNEA-6 and coordinating Ipieca’s official side event and taking part in the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership webinar.

The other big highlight from the year was the chance to take some of the Ipieca Secretariat on a tour of the Shell Energy and Chemical Park in Rotterdam, to see where some of the world’s energy comes from.

Artemis:

The opportunity to learn daily and being part of Shell’s Biodiversity team. Specifically, marine biodiversity, identifying restoration options, talking to stakeholders was all very fascinating and innovative. It was a great moment to be part of these discussions as everything was new which allows for innovation and creativity (in a way!).

Yamile:

I will miss the daily interactions with the fabulous people with whom I had the privilege to work with in the Ipieca Nature team, the Secretariat, the chairs and co-chairs, members, and stakeholders with whom I developed close and collaborative relationships. I like to think of Ipieca like the mastermind alliance for advancing environmental, social and sustainability performance across the energy transition. By this I mean a group of people who are committed to successful environmental outcomes. That is to me the exact value of Ipieca, a platform in which global leaders come together to share ideas and make them happen for the benefit of the sustainability of our industry.

‘People make a place’, and Ipieca was an amazing place to grow. While the secondment has concluded, I hope to remain involved with the work Ipieca does.